Loneliness
by EbonyShroud
Summary: I only wanted to be friends. I did not mean for this to happen, not to my first and only true human friend...


**AN: I wanted to try writing something different, and so created this little one-shot. I have never written in first-person before, so I am sorry if it sounds a little weird. Thank you.**

* * *

Ever since I was young, I felt obligated to return to the island I was born every night. In fact, I can sort of remember hearing a sweet voice telling me to never leave the island in the first place. However, I was young and ignorant. I wanted to see what was beyond the island. So, one day I traveled across the great wide waters to the other side. As soon as I reached the other shore, I heard the voice again. It was stern but kind, and told me that I could satisfy my curiosity if I did one thing; avoid those who are sleeping at all costs and return to the island at sundown.

It was an odd request, but I heeded it. After all, the voice was kind and has done nothing wrong against me. So, I wandered the land, enjoying the freedom from the island and vowing never to stay on the island past sunrise. And then I ran into a human boy.

He was very young for human standards, perhaps too young to be without a human companion. He did have a companion with him, a young brash buziel with the idea in his head that he was the best out of all the buziel. At first, I was terrified of them, the buziel had leapt out of nowhere and attacked me without hesitation. I'm almost ashamed to say he scared me out of my wits. After noticing how terrified I was, they stopped and talked to me in hopes of calming me down. Eventually, I calmed down and listened to the human boy. His voice was quiet and gentle, like the sweet voice I had heard issuing the stern warning. I couldn't help but feel happy. Eventually, I had to leave, but my long night on the quiet island made me return and find the boy the next day.

Over time, the three of us became friends. He never showed any concern that I left at sunset, although the buziel occasionally grew suspicious of my departures. As the seasons passed, I stayed by the boy's side longer and longer, happy to finally have a friend for once in my long lonely life.

Then I forgot to return to the island.

I guess it was inevitable. The boy asked me to share dinner with them and I accepted happily, ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that it was a bad idea. It was just the three of us enjoying the dinner; him, me, and the buziel. After they finished, the boy pulled out a cloth cocoon and got inside of it. The buziel curled up beside the fire and fell asleep. Eventually, I too fell asleep without a care in the world.

I don't know why I woke up, perhaps it was because I knew something was happening. I'm still not sure to this day. However, I woke up and noticed something odd. The boy shivered in his sleep. It was odd to be sure, the night was still warm and he was in his cocoon of cloth. The buziel noticed this too, although he himself had no idea on what to do. Then the boy started screaming, a terrified shriek that was chilling to listen to. The buziel squeaked in terror and surprise and tried waking the human up, calling out for him. Then the human's scream dwindled and he started thrashing, kicking out his legs and mumbling. It was horrifying when the two of us realized what he was mumbling, Darkrai. He was mumbling my name in terror, even though I had only told the buziel my name.

The buziel instantly recognized it and turned on me, spitting with anger and demanding I leave. I quickly obliged, fleeing from the terrified trainer and his angry companion.

I ran to the only place I could think of, the island I was born on. It was an abandoned island, a safe haven I never thought I would need again. I had to stay away…

* * *

…I stayed on that island for what seemed to be forever, hating myself for what I had done. The hopes for being with humans were ruined. Once the tears stopped falling and my heart stopped aching, I left the island and roamed around for a short while, seeing if it was actually my fault that the boy had a nightmare. It was horrible to see bidoofs and others writhe in their sleep, tormented by dreams inflicted by my very presence. So, I started returning to the abandoned island before nightfall to ensure no one else was hurt. Then, I met a young Kirlia. She was quiet and rather cold towards me, but told me of a power that I might be able to access if I was strong enough. It allowed dreams to be pulled out and eaten. While barbaric when I first heard it, she quickly convinced me that I'd be able to stay with my friend if I used it on him. And so, I set out to strengthen myself and get this power.

It took many months before it happened, many months of searching for powerful foes to fight and ways to train. Finally, it succeeded. Once I realized that the food I ate no longer tasted as and felt the hunger pains come upon finding others while they were asleep, I knew I could return. If I took away their nightmares, then I could return to the kind human again.

With this in mind, I set out into the world searching for him. I knew that so much time had passed, but I was certain I would eventually find him. And I did find him.

The boy had grown since I last saw him, nearly doubling in height and sprouting hair on his face. His companion had evolved, turning from the brash buziel into a sleek warrior floatzel. The boy welcomed me back, as if I had never left, smiling his bright accepting smile that stretched across his face. Oh, how wonderful was it to see his smile again. The floatzel did not accept me as willingly, eying me with suspicion and pacing protectively in front of his human companion suspiciously. It took a few hours for him to grudgingly accept that I meant no harm and had planned no further harm on his beloved companion. However, I knew that the floatzel would never fully trust me without proof that I was not going to hurt him and I was more than prepared to prove once and for all that I was a friend.

I spent the day with them, enjoying their company and waiting for night to come to show I can be trusted again. I met the floatzel's mate, a young shy gastrodon. She had only been a part of the team for a short while, joining after I had fled the first time, but accepted me kindly. Then night came and my human friend settled down for the night. I knew he did not know that whatever dream I had inflicted on him was my fault, for he fell asleep once I was there. I could not sleep, I had to stay awake and wait for the nightmare to settle in.

The nightmare came after the moon had risen high enough to be visible over the trees. First came the loss of color, then the shivering, and finally moaning. Now certain that he was in the nightmare, I tried pulling at the dreams. I could taste it as it began erupting from the boy's forehead, the glimmering blue nightmare tasted horribly bitter and foul.

To my shock, the boy screamed in pain, horribly unlike the scream of terror he had screamed all those years ago. His shrill pained shriek startled awake the gastrodon and floatzel instantly. The gastrodon immediately rushed to his side, crying out for him to wake up. The floatzel hissed and blasted me with water, breaking my concentration on the powerful pull on the dreams and slamming me down into the smoldering fire pit. The floatzel then rushed to his trainer, crying out for the trainer to wake up. I slowly got up, ignoring the pain of the burns as I tried feeling out for the nightmare. I did not sense the nightmare, which was at first a delight. I thought I had succeeded and everything was going to be all right from then on. But then, I saw that the gastrodon was crying. That's when I realized what I had done.

I had not taken away his nightmares, but something more precious.

I will never forget the floatzel's face when he looked up from his former friend, the pure blood-thirsty rage at what I had done. He roared, his sleek fur puffing out and foam burbling at his mouth as he leapt at me. This time, he did not simply want me to leave. He wanted to kill me in revenge. His mate ignored him entirely, clinging to the dead human and crying out in grief.

I fled, like the coward I was, and returned to my empty island once again.

And there, I tried to forget what it meant to be loved.


End file.
